This isn't so much about diving as it is about a cool outing from my past. You see, for their 9th birthday my twins wanted something cool. In trade for a birthday party they wanted to get their passports and then take a trip to Canada. This wasn't at all unreasonable and it would cost the same so Jill and I decided to go for it. As it turns out the problem would be finding a free day to take them.
Today was that day.
We got up early and headed out with a plan A and a plan B. The first goal was for the girls to see the USA from the Canadian side. The second goal was to see Fort Malden. The British Fort that launched the Battle of Lake Erie. I had a goal to take the girls to see a relic of my childhood, I was just not sure if it could be done without a boat. I was happy to say that it was both easier and better than expected.
The main goal for me was to see Boblo Island. An amusement park that my parents took us when I was little. I vaguely remember the first time that I was there but I really remember the year that I was finally 48 inches tall. That was the magical height where you could ride both the little kids rides and most of the adult rides. The girls were both about that age and height.
Our adventure started when we crossed the Ambassador Bridge over to Canada. The Jill, the girls and I all answered all the questions of the customs officer on the Canadian side and he was able to actually stamp their passports! We got over to Canada and to my dismay google maps didn't work over there (I had set it up so I thought that it would) so I had to use "the Force" to find my way around. Good thing that there were excellent signs to Amherstburg, Canada our ultimate destination for this go-around. We stopped briefly in La Salle, Ontario, Canada so the girls could get their first glimpse of Grosse Ile, the island that I grew up on and that they had visted often, as recently as yesterday. We were able to see some recognizable landmarks including the chapel that Jill and I got married in. They had fun in a park nearby playing on a "Canadian" Play set. The gravel underneath was the most noticeable contrast to the American, over-pasteurized play sets.






We crossed back to the USA through the tunnel clearing customs was fun with lots of questions for the girls after I told the customs officer that this was their birthday present. He didn't have his stamp for their passports but he let us through without problems.
Off to Belle Isle.
This was pretty cool since the girls had never been there. They saw the fountain and a good view of the Ren Cen then they had to use the bathroom so we went to the Casino to take care of that. Then to the Aquarium to find IT WAS OPEN!!! YAAYYYY!!!
I had not been in the Aquarium in some time. The Belle Isle Aquarium is one of the oldest Aquariums still in operation in the USA. When it closed in 2009 the aquarium was the longest continuously open aquarium at 104 years. It is almost the same as it was during my childhood. There is a lot of work that needs to be done but this is a pretty amazing time capsule. This was super fun. Afterwards we did a tour of the nearby conservatory and got our dose of warm tropical air. Te twins ran in the garden afterwards and then we headed home. On the way was the hands, down most amazing outdoor playset that I have ever seen. The girls got their final birthday wish.
Amazing day for a set of amazing kids. Cannot wait to do it again!!!
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